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IS CHRISTIAN DISCRIMINATION REAL? IF SO, WHAT'S THE SOLUTION?
"For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? (James 2:2-4)
Discrimination! This word seems to be running rampant in today's society, and it seems to have been insinuated into vocabularies from kinder garden through college and into the work place. And our Christian circles are certainly no exception. What causes this phenomenon? Could it be a form of bias, preconceived prejudice, or simply just plain bigotry?
According to the dictionary "discrimination" is defined as "the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age."
And within this definition we have two factors, those being secular and religious. For the purpose of this blog, we will be dealing with the religious discrimination factor.
Religious discrimination is basically treating a person or group differently because of what they believe. In other words, it’s when adherents of different religions or denominations are treated unequally, due to doctrinal differences and the differences of scriptural interpretation. (2 Timothy 3:16)
So how does this definition fit into your Christian circles, and into our churches? And how may this evil behavior be handled? It is an evil you know. For the believers’ enemies are the demonic host of Satan, always assembled for mortal spiritual combat. And the more alive a church becomes, the more the battle rages. In Ephesians 6:10-18 we have the solution, the protection for us believers.
In the twenty-fifth Chapter of Matthew's gospel, Jesus teaches that as we do to His brethren, we do the same to Him. In other words, the way we treat others is as if we are disrespecting God through Him. Again, all people are equally important to the realm of God.
What then if you have happened to be a victim of religious discrimination? Bottom line, you must forgive those who have hurt you, be they family, friends or fellow church members. (Ephesians 4:32) We must pray that God heals our hearts by forgiving others. Not exercising the practice of forgiveness (1 John 1:9), will certainly hinder your Christian testimony. (Romans 6:13)
Growing up as a church youth, we used to sing this chorus. Can you sing it and mean it?
Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white
All are precious in His sight
Jesus loves the little children of the world.
Yes, our Lord does love everybody. (Galatians 3:28) He lived and died for the whole world. (John 3:16) And guess what, He bled "red" to redeem all mankind from the bonds of our inherited sin. (Genesis 3:1-7) You see, Jesus was a Jew, but he died for the Jew and Gentile alike, and we should love others as Jesus does. (John 13:34)
So what about it, dear Christian friend, do you need to repent regarding religious discrimination? The easiest remedy for this forgiveness is to simply to learn to love the diversity of your fellow believers, and non-believers alike. (James 2:1-9)
Author's Postscript:
Having grown up in the church atmosphere, I realize life at times can be difficult, especially in the church realm, for the Church is actually people, God's people. However, it takes valleys to make mountains. Yes, there will be trials. And yes, there is a solution to these trials, in the person of Jesus Christ. (Psalm 66:10) So let us climb those mountains. Let us not stay in those valleys. Amen!
Life at times, even for a Christian, can seem difficult. Often, life’s burdens can feel too overwhelming to bear. In spite of this, trials have a refining effect on our lives, and in the end are always for our good.
The "Old Time Religion" Deacon, " If you find a perfect church, don't join it. For, you will ruin it".
The first church, located in Jerusalem, is a prime example of true believers, spiritual living, and non-discrimination. (Acts 2:41-47) And why is this? Simply because this first church was founded by and nurtured by God's Holy Spirit.
We see that those who believed were baptized and joined the church. (Acts 2:41) They continued devoting themselves to the Apostles’ doctrine, and the breaking of bread. (Acts 2:42) They saw many wonders take place. (Acts 2:43) They were all of one accord. (Acts 2:44) They shared their wealth as needed. (Acts 2:45) They continued to worship and have Christian fellowship. (Acts 2:46) And the church grew, as the Lord allowed. (Acts 2:47)
Yes, no discrimination with this church or its people. So, let us take notice. (Ephesians 6:23-24)
Please visit my web page http://ccrobey.wixsite.com/themessage
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